What's in a $10,000 Cocktail?

The Menage a Trois (right) and Ono (left) cocktails at Wynn Las Vegas are priced at $3,000 and $10,000, respectively.

In a time where a $12 price tag is the norm in cities like New York and Los Angeles, expensive drinks seem unavoidable. But there's a difference between expensive and downright extravagant, which is where the Ono, $10,000, and the Ménage a Trois, $3,000, come in.

Both sold at the Wynn Las Vegas, these cocktails come with embellishments like a diamond-encrusted straw and customized jewelry.

"When we first opened up Tryst [in 2005], we wanted to have a signature drink that really stood out," Ronn Nicolli, executive director of nightlife marketing at Tryst and XS, said. "The Ménage a Trois obviously comes with a very unique price tag to it, but it was something for the luxury customer base coming into the nightlife venue. Then, with XS, we had to outshine ourselves, and it came down to, 'How can we build something as special as a Ménage a Trois that would really emphasize the luxury of the XS brand?'"

What the managers came up with-the Ono-costs $7,000 more than the already pricey Ménage a Trois, and consists of Charles Heidsieck Champagne Charlie 1981 and Louis XIII de Remy Martin Black Pearl cognac. Meant for two, the drink also comes with men's sterling silver XS cufflinks and a woman's 18 karat white-gold chain with a black pearl pendant.

Customers are also paying for an experience. "We're asking a customer to spend 3 or 10k and we wanted to make sure each has a unique experience," Nicolli said. "When you hear the drink has been ordered, there's a certain excitement. There's the preparation of the drinks, making sure everything is put together properly. And then there's the show that comes with it. Any time one of these drinks is ordered, depending on the time of night, you're getting your own parade of 10-15 cocktail waitresses with lights walking you the drink to special music."

Tryst has sold 37 Ménage a Trois drinks, while the more expensive Ono has been ordered 25 times at XS.

"They're actually sold a lot more than people think," Nicolli said. "The customer is a wide range. We've seen the typical Vegas guy popping bottles to one guy who ordered three over the course of a weekend just because he enjoyed the drink. There's a certain luxury and also a little bit of a novelty."